The Swearer Center at Brown University

University Community-Engaged Learning and Public Serviceswearer.brown.edu

The Swearer Center for Public Service, established in 1986 at Brown University, connects undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and 100+ community partners in Providence and Rhode Island through fellowships, engaged-learning courses, the BrownEngage volunteer platform, and community-engaged research initiatives.

Company typePrivate
Founded1986
HeadquartersProvidence, United States
Headcount101–250
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What The Swearer Center at Brown University does

The Swearer Center for Public Service is an academic center within Brown University, established in 1986 as one of the first formal Centers for Public Service in the United States. Operating from 2 Stimson Avenue in Providence, Rhode Island with a secondary community-facing space at the Fidler Family Campus/Community Center (339 Eddy Street), it serves undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff, community-based organizations, and alumni through an integrated portfolio of fellowships, academic programs, engagement platforms, and partnership initiatives. The center employs approximately 105 staff and is led by Vice President for Community Engagement and Stark Family Executive Director Mary Jo Callan (since 2023), with Howard R. Swearer having co-founded it alongside the national Campus Compact coalition in 1987. It is funded through Brown's institutional budget, donor contributions, and multiple endowed fellowships.

Its product portfolio spans fellowship programs (Royce Fellowship est. 1996 with 600+ alumni, Laidlaw Scholars, Social Innovation Fellowship, iProv Summer Fellowship, Edward Guiliano Global Fellowships, CBLR Fellowship), academic credentials (Engaged Scholarship Certificate through Sociology), engagement platforms (BrownEngage volunteer portal integrated with Volunteer Center of Rhode Island, RICOMJOBS job board), and specialized initiatives (Brown Votes for civic engagement, BrownCAN alumni network, CEDEC research collaborative engaging 8+ Brown institutional partners). Fellowship stipends range from $500 to $5,500; all programs are free to eligible participants and the center does not charge community partners. CEDEC has completed nearly 200 projects with 68 community partners in three years, and the center engages 100+ community organizations through BrownEngage and the Community Advisory Board.

The business model is community-led and institutionally funded. Go-to-market relies on Brown's academic infrastructure (Registrar, Open Curriculum, Sociology department) and dedicated outreach channels including weekly student newsletters, monthly faculty and community-partner newsletters, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), and a Student Advisory Committee of student ambassadors. Customer segments include undergraduate students (primary), graduate students, faculty and staff, community organizations in Providence and Rhode Island, alumni and friends, and government partners (City of Providence). Programs are delivered through coursework, fellowships, workshops, and the BrownEngage volunteer portal, with international reach via the Royce and Edward Guiliano Global Fellowships spanning the Caribbean to East Asia.

The Swearer Center at Brown University firmographics

Firmographics

Name: The Swearer Center at Brown University
Legal name: Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University
Website: https://swearer.brown.edu
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1986
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 101–250 employees
Short description: The Swearer Center for Public Service, established in 1986 at Brown University, connects undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and 100+ community partners in Providence and Rhode Island through fellowships, engaged-learning courses, the BrownEngage volunteer platform, and community-engaged research initiatives.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

The Swearer Center at Brown University industry classification

Industry

Product category: University Community-Engaged Learning and Public Service
NAICS: Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)
SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)
akta.pro primary industry: Community Engagement & Service-Learning Partnerships (EDALAOAI)

Keywords

Community-engaged learning
University public service
Fellowship programs
Civic engagement
Community partnerships

Where The Swearer Center at Brown University is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Providence
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

The Swearer Center at Brown University business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

University Funding: As a center of Brown University, the Swearer Center is funded through university institutional funding, donor contributions, and the Stark Family endowment. Revenue supports fellowships, programs, staff, and community partnerships.
Donor Contributions: The Swearer Center receives charitable donations through Brown University's advancement office, including specific funds like the Innovation Fund and the Royce Fellowship endowment.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Other	Multi-year contract	Royce Fellowship undergraduate award based on financial need
Other	Multi-year contract	Royce Graduate Fellowship Award
Other	Multi-year contract	Laidlaw Scholars base award
Other	Annual	Social Innovation Fellowship annual stipend
Other	Pay-as-you-go	iProv Summer Fellowship stipend
Other	Pay-as-you-go	Engaged Research Mini-Grants
Other	Pay-as-you-go	Edward Guiliano Global Fellowship award tiers
Other	Annual	Community-Based Learning and Research Fellowship
Other	Multi-year contract	Graduate Proctor stipend

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

The Swearer Center at Brown University product offering

Product offering

Core offering

The Swearer Center for Public Service is Brown University's academic center for community-engaged teaching, learning, research, and practice. It administers multiple fellowship programs (Royce, Laidlaw, Social Innovation, iProv, Edward Guiliano Global, CBLR), an Engaged Scholarship Certificate, the BrownEngage volunteer platform, and civic engagement initiatives (Brown Votes, BrownCAN alumni network, CEDEC). Its primary mission is connecting Brown students and faculty with community partners in Providence and Rhode Island through experiential learning and reciprocal partnerships.

Product overview

The Swearer Center operates as a comprehensive platform of interconnected programs and initiatives rather than a single product. Its portfolio includes fellowship programs (Royce Fellowship, Laidlaw Scholars, Social Innovation Fellowship, Edward Guiliano Global Fellowships), academic credentials (Engaged Scholarship Certificate, CBLR Fellowship), employment/work-study programs (iProv Summer Fellowship, Off-Campus Federal Work Study), engagement platforms (BrownEngage portal, RI Community Jobs), and specialized initiatives (Brown Votes civic engagement, BrownCAN alumni network, CEDEC research collaborative). These offerings are designed to work together to support community-engaged learning, research, and social innovation across Brown's campus and Providence community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Royce Fellowship An undergraduate fellowship supporting independent community-engaged research projects, established in 1996. Fellows conduct research under faculty guidance while being part of an interdisciplinary cohort, with lifetime membership in the Society of Royce Fellows.
Laidlaw Scholars Program A two-year scaffolded learning experience combining research and leadership development through community-engaged learning in Rhode Island, domestically, and internationally.

Quantifiable outcome

Over 600 students supported through Royce Fellowship since 1996
+2 more outcomes

Companies that use The Swearer Center at Brown University

Customer profile

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

The Swearer Center at Brown University technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

The Swearer Center at Brown University partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Annenberg Institute at BrowncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Core campus partner in CEDEC (Community-Engaged Data and Evaluation Collaborative), contributing to public impact research and experiential learning initiatives.
Brown University LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Core campus partner in CEDEC, supporting data and research initiatives for community partners.
Data Science InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Core campus partner in CEDEC, providing data science expertise for community-engaged projects.
School of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Core campus partner in CEDEC, contributing public health research capacity to community partnerships.
Watson Institute for International and Public AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Core campus partner in CEDEC, advancing policy research and public impact initiatives with community partners.
Center for Computation and VisualizationcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Core campus partner in CEDEC, providing computational resources for community partner data projects.
Department of Africana StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Core campus partner in CEDEC, contributing scholarship and engagement expertise.
School of Professional StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Core campus partner in CEDEC, providing professional education connections.
Social Enterprise Greenhouse (SEG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEG provides curriculum and mentorship for Social Innovation Fellowship students. SEG is a startup accelerator for social impact businesses in Providence, connecting aspiring entrepreneurs to the Rhode Island business community.
Laidlaw FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaidlaw Foundation funds and supports the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Program at Brown, developing next-generation leaders through research and community engagement.
Volunteer Center of Rhode Island (VCRI)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBrownEngage integrates with VCRI through new GetConnected platform, allowing opportunities to appear on both platforms and expanding access to hundreds of volunteer and internship listings.
Community-Based Organizations in ProvidencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner100+ community organizations partner with Brown through BrownEngage portal, hosting student volunteers, interns, and collaborating on engaged research projects.
Youth In ActionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRhode Island Youth Action Board works collaboratively with Youth In Action to create sustainable solutions to end youth homelessness.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

The Swearer Center at Brown University competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Campus Compact: National coalition co-founded by Howard R. Swearer in 1987 that aggregates civic engagement programming across hundreds of member colleges; comparable as the field-building umbrella organization that the Swearer Center helped originate.
Center for Community and Citizen Youth at Stanford University (Stanford Collaborative for Student Civic Engagement): Stanford's broader civic engagement ecosystem (Cardinal Service initiative) that incorporates the Haas Center and extends community-engaged learning across the university; comparable as a higher-ed civic engagement umbrella.

Direct peers

Pace Center for Civic Engagement at Princeton University: Princeton's hub for civic engagement, providing fellowships, service-learning courses, and community partnerships; operates a similar Ivy League model of integrated academic and community programming.
Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service at Georgetown University: Georgetown's center coordinating community-based learning, service, and justice-oriented research across the university; structurally similar as an integrated civic engagement hub at a research university.
Center for Civic Engagement at Duke University: Duke's hub for community-engaged coursework, service, and research partnerships; offers comparable fellowships and integrates with academic departments similarly to Swearer's model.
Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University: Stanford's dedicated center for public and community service, offering Cardinal Service fellowships, community-engaged learning programs, and university-community partnerships structurally analogous to the Swearer Center's portfolio.
Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University: Tufts' university-wide civic engagement college offering fellowships, research, and community partnerships; comparable in combining undergraduate programming with applied research and community-based learning.
Netter Center for Community Partnerships at University of Pennsylvania: UPenn's center for university-community partnerships operating academically based community service courses, student fellowships, and K-12 partnerships; closely mirrors the Swearer Center's community-engaged teaching model.
Center for Community Engagement at Yale University: Yale's community engagement office coordinating New Haven partnerships, student volunteering, and community-based learning; comparable Ivy League model with strong neighborhood focus.
Center for Public Service at Harvard University: Harvard's public service center offering fellowships and community-engaged opportunities to undergraduates and graduate students; closest direct peer in the Ivy League context.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

The Swearer Center at Brown University financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

The Swearer Center at Brown University leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

The Swearer Center at Brown University funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

The Swearer Center at Brown University M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Swearer Center at Brown University

What does The Swearer Center at Brown University do?

Is The Swearer Center at Brown University a public or private company?

The Swearer Center at Brown University is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was The Swearer Center at Brown University founded?

The Swearer Center at Brown University was founded in 1986. It employs 101 to 250 people.

Where is The Swearer Center at Brown University based?

The Swearer Center at Brown University is headquartered in Providence, United States, in the North America region.

How does The Swearer Center at Brown University make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. University Funding is the primary driver. The others are donor Contributions.

Who are The Swearer Center at Brown University's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Campus Compact and Center for Community and Citizen Youth at Stanford University (Stanford Collaborative for Student Civic Engagement). Direct peers are Pace Center for Civic Engagement at Princeton University, Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service at Georgetown University, Center for Civic Engagement at Duke University, Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University, Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University, Netter Center for Community Partnerships at University of Pennsylvania, Center for Community Engagement at Yale University and Center for Public Service at Harvard University.

Does The Swearer Center at Brown University have an API?

No public API is recorded for The Swearer Center at Brown University.

What industry is The Swearer Center at Brown University in?

The Swearer Center at Brown University's product category is University Community-Engaged Learning and Public Service. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAOAI, Community Engagement & Service-Learning Partnerships. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8200.